Over the years, pet adoption has declined as more people choose to buy from breeders or stores. This has resulted in a significant increase in the number of animals being euthanized in shelters.
Through a release, Best Friends Animal Society, which strives to end animal sacrifices by 2025, has given us important information and statistics about animal sacrifices in U.S. shelters.
With this purpose, in 2016, they established "No-Kill" shelters, which, as its name says, are shelters were killing animals just to fit more is not an option; instead, they run life-saving community programs, provide support and training, and mobilize community members to better the possibilities of four-legged companions adoptions.
Unfortunately, their study shows that "No-Kill" shelters are reaching a historical animal capacity of 57% in 2022, a 22% increase from 2016.
While "No-Kill" shelters reached capacity, regular shelters killed 378,000 animals in 2022. It means that people are not interested in adopting anymore; instead, they buy from breeders. California and Texas had the highest animal sacrifices, with 51,361 and 69,000 kills, respectively.
On the other hand, three states in the U.S. are entirely "No-Kill" states: Delaware, New Hampshire, and the newly added Vermont.
When it comes to adopting animals, dogs have historically been favored over other pets. However, in 2022, the adoption rate for dogs decreased from 87% in 2021 to 83%. Cats are more likely to be euthanized than dogs, with a 55% higher chance. This is even more significant during the summertime when cats tend to reproduce more and the "kitty season" begins. The estimated percentage is 10% higher for cats than dogs. Adopting cats and dogs is vital for "No-Kill" shelters to grow and thrive.
On the bright side, "No-Kill" shelters have been improving the likelihood of survival for rescued cats and dogs. Since these kinds of shelters started in 2016, animal sacrifices dropped by 63.3%.
"We are at a tipping point of bringing the country to "No-Kill," said Julie Castle, executive director of the Best Friends Animal Society. "The number of shelters that are "No-Kill" shows that it is possible to save all the healthy pets in a shelter. 93% of shelters that did not euthanize pets in 2021 could maintain this status the following year"
There's no greater feeling than knowing you've saved a life. If you're looking for love and joy, adopting a cat or dog is a great opportunity. Many animals are available for adoption, so it's worth checking out your local shelters. Who knows You might just find your perfect four-legged companion there!
For more information on the Best Friend Animal Society, visit https://bestfriends.org/.
